Kaya stole a glance at Reno. So Nami and Makino-nee have already been…What a bad big brother.
"Nami, what did you say?!" Reno shot her a mischievous grin. With the Healing Fruit, he was confident he could make Nami "soar to the skies."
Nami stuck out her tongue and hid behind Makino, quickly backtracking. Though she often traded barbs with Reno, she didn't dare truly challenge him. Otherwise, she'd be in for it. Better let her "successor" rest for a couple of days.
Seeing Nami back down, Reno raised an eyebrow and led the girls to dinner.
…
That Night, in the Room
Reno began claiming his reward. After "conquering" Kaya, the system's prompt arrived as expected.
"Claim reward."
[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Nature-Type Weather Fruit.]
A flash of white light, and a Devil Fruit adorned with multicolored patterns appeared before Reno. His heart raced as he stared at it.
Why so excited? The Weather Fruit wasn't a single-element power. From what he knew, it encompassed wind, rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, snow, frost, and mist. In other words, eating this fruit granted the user access to multiple elements.
Monet's Snow-Snow Fruit? Got it. The supposedly most destructive Nature-Type, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Got it. The rumored Wind-Wind Fruit of the Revolutionary Army's Dragon? Got that too.
Everything you could want! Absolutely overpowered.
Reno calmed his excitement. The Weather Fruit was, without question, meant for Nami. As a genius navigator, she was the perfect match for it.
Besides, though they bickered often, Reno saw it as their way of flirting. Who said flirting had to mean cuddling and kissing? He had a soft spot for Nami.
Plus, no matter who ate the Weather Fruit, he'd share its abilities. Win-win.
Satisfied, Reno tucked the fruit away, planning to surprise Nami later.
…
Several Days Later
In the mansion, Kaya stared at the bound trio—Django, Sam, and Butchie—finally understanding why Reno had lingered in Syrup Village.
The three struggled frantically against their restraints. Django, in particular, was utterly baffled. Days ago, Kuro had contacted them, saying the plan was on track and to prepare for action. But when the time came, Kuro had vanished without a trace.
After discussing, the trio decided to investigate. The moment they showed up, they were instantly taken down.
"Big brother Reno, who are they?" Kaya asked.
Reno glanced at them lazily. "Kuro's lackeys, key members of the Black Cat Pirates."
Kaya's heart skipped a beat.
Reno sipped his tea leisurely. "Kuro planned for them to attack the village, hypnotize you, make you write a will, and seize your fortune." "Oh, right," he added, pointing at Django. "I mentioned a hypnotist before. That's him."
"You bastard! What did you do to Captain Kuro?!" Django roared, his identity exposed.
Nami, fed up, stormed over and delivered a hard kick. "You're tied up, and you're still yelling?"
"What else? I sent him on his way," Reno replied dismissively. He shook his head, sneering. "Kuro was such an idiot. A refined, beautiful lady like Miss Kaya? I'd win her heart and marry her."
That way, he'd get both the girl and the wealth. Wasn't that the real way to live in the sunlight? Kuro's path was too narrow.
Kaya blushed at Reno's praise, lowering her head shyly. Big brother Reno, keep praising me. I love it.
"Hmph, you think you can beat our captain?" Django scoffed, sizing Reno up. In the East Blue, he could name everyone capable of defeating Kuro—and Reno wasn't one of them.
Reno didn't bother arguing with a small fry. With multiple teleports, he sent Django and the others to the same deserted island.
They wanted to see Kuro? Fine, let them see him.
Hmm.Not bad. The wild beasts had been kind enough to leave a couple of bones.
After dealing with them, Reno returned to the hall. Hand them to the Navy? Hah. Vicious, irredeemable scum like them, dreaming of joining the Navy to clear their names? Reno sent them straight to their graves.
When he reappeared, the girls knew the matter was settled. They didn't care about the trio's fate.
Reno clapped his hands, in high spirits. "Alright, my beautiful crew, the villains have been dealt with. Time to set sail for our next destination."
Kaya jumped with excitement. "Yay! I can finally go to sea!" Her dream of over a decade was finally coming true.
"Thank you, big brother Reno." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, light as a dragonfly's touch.
"Let's go!" Nami cheered, equally thrilled. Spending these days with Reno, she felt an unprecedented sense of security. They bickered daily, but why did it feel so good?
"I think I've joined a pretty great pirate crew," Makino said with a gentle smile, following behind. "And we've got a pretty great captain."
As the group stepped out of the mansion, Usopp, who had been waiting, approached nervously. "Kaya, are you leaving Syrup Village?"
Kaya glanced at Reno, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, Usopp. I'm going to sea with big brother Reno." "To see the world. I probably won't be back for a while."
Usopp's head drooped in disappointment. But then he looked up, eyes full of hope, and turned to Reno. "Can I join your pirate crew?"
Reno: …Ugly reject!
He was about to refuse when he raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the distance, a smirk forming.
"Usopp, my crew's probably not for you." "But the pirate crew that is for you has already arrived."
…